Time-shifting of broadcast program content was originally made available to viewers with the advent of video cassette recorders that allow viewers to record broadcast content for later playback at the viewer's convenience. Advances in digital recording technology now allow a viewer to record a broadcast program in real-time while simultaneously watching a previously recorded portion of the same program. In such a situation, a user of a digital video recorder device that buffers broadcast content in real-time, may become confused as to whether she is viewing live television or whether she is viewing time-shifted program material stored in the buffer of the device. If the viewer is watching time-shifted program material, it may be beneficial for her to know how large the buffer is and what the current viewing position within the buffer is.